Some may say the postponement was inevitable and imaginable, but we have to admit that the press release of the postponement, which arrived late last Tuesday afternoon, actually surprised us.
The organization motivated the change with the need to meet the demands of the market, to give time to get out of the confusion caused by the increase in contagions, and re-evaluate international travel and meetings. And many were the reasons for the postponement: several companies, although on the list of the “confirmed”, said they were still uncertain or in the process of making a final decision.
How many visitors would take the flight to Barcelona in the current health situation? Wasn’t there a risk of being stuck in a Spanish quarantine, at the end of the stay, with all the work, but also personal and family, problems that this would entail? Wasn’t there a risk of facing a big expense in the face of many insecurities, and of distracting energies and people dedicated to the preparation of the event, with respect to other activities that could have been more profitable in the long run? There were also several criticisms of an organization that wanted to go ahead “at all costs”, despite a difficult situation.
The communication brought a sigh of relief to many people, allowing them to postpone all decisions to a hopefully quieter and clearer moment. Nonetheless, many have complained, also on social networks, about a postponement so close to the event, which will entail various additional expenses: flights that cannot be moved and have to be rebooked, transport of materials already booked, penalties for postponing stand construction, etc.
But in May, what will ISE be like? At the moment all that’s certain is that we’ll be packing sunglasses instead of the usual gloves and scarves.
